GLS a punchy subcompact

By Tim Yip, Edmonton Journal

Originally published: September 21, 2011

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Here’s a factoid for you automotive trivia buffs. At the end of the first quarter this year, Hyundai was the fifth bestselling car brand in Canada, having pushed Honda to No. 6. (Ford, General Motors, Chrysler and Toyota held the top four positions, according to Canadian auto industry analyst Dennis DesRosiers.) With these results, the Korean manufacturer has carved out an enviable 8.1-per-cent market share. It comes as no surprise, then, that Hyundai is a growing force, and if the 2012 Hyundai Accent GLS is any indication, the top four manufacturers have plenty to worry about.

In the subcompact car segment, superb cars like the Ford Fiesta, Honda Fit, Mazda2, and Toyota Yaris are fighting hard to woo buyers. The re-designed 2012 Accent GLS joins this skirmish armed to the teeth with a long list of standard features.

Three words sum up the new Accent GLS five-door: value, value, value. The top-of-the-range Accent GLS is loaded with a dizzying list of standard equipment: power sunroof and heated front seats (neither of which are available on the Honda Fit or Toyota Yaris), four-wheel disc brakes, 16-inch alloy wheels, fog lights, satellite radio, cruise control, air conditioning, six-speed manual transmission, ABS, traction control, vehicle stability control and the icing on the cake, more power (138 horsepower) and best-in-class fuel consumption rating. Whew! And this tasty package comes at a very attractive price, $17,199. My current class favourite Honda Fit Sport is pricier at $20,175.

The new Accent five-door looks sleek. The side profile is particularly attractive, with two character lines running the length of the body. The front fascia has a pair of hockey-stick-shaped fog lights with deeply sculpted surrounds and a pair of large, slanted headlamps give a fresh look, but the grille and lower air intake seem indistinct. Standard on the GLS is a roof spoiler, and for some reason, the Accent looks bigger than the Fit (which is essentially the same size.)

The interior has good quality materials. The plastic trim used on door panels and dash look better than that of the 2012 Honda Civic. The instrument panel is clear, as are the audio and HVAC controls on the centrestack, which looks elegant, according to the comments of various passengers. Rear-seat legroom is very good and will comfortably accommodate sub-six foot tall adults, and headroom is plentiful.

Driving the six-speed manual transmission Accent GLS is remarkably easy. The clutch action has plenty of feel, is light, easy to modulate, and engages smoothly, and the six-speed manual transmission is snickety-snick precise. The Accent drives so easily, it would be my first choice to teach a newbie the art of manual shifting.

The Accent’s 1.6-litre DOHC engine is an engineering show piece. The 138 horsepower GLS (28 horsepower more than last year’s 1.6-litre engine) easily out-powers the Honda Fit (117 horsepower 1.5-litre) and Toyota Yaris (106 horsepower 1,5-litre) and achieves a best-inclass fuel-consumption rating. The Accent’s use of mainstream technology, frankly, makes hybrid and diesel power (for the price) appear absurd.

Driving the Accent GLS shows how good this car is. Its ride and handling dynamics are as good as any competitor’s except for the classleading Honda Fit, which drives with Swiss-watch precision and remains the most fun of the bunch. A pleasant surprise is the GLS’s sunroof which, when open, generates little wind noise or buffeting up to 100 km/h – a feat few cars, regardless of price, accomplish.

It’s hard to find anything to complain about. OK, the Accent GLS lacks an outside temperature readout – an utter travesty for weather-obsessed Canadians, and the seats are on the firm side. Also, the dashboard covering displayed wavy blemishes (likely due to unevenly applied adhesive), but a quick inspection of other new Accents confirmed only our unit had this irregularity.

Overall, the new 2012 Hyundai Accent GLS five-door is one superb car.

It’s packed with standard features, has terrific build quality and is priced very aggressively. That easily makes the 2012 Accent GLS one of my top picks of the year.

Hyundai has a winner on its hands, and if you’re in the market for a new subcompact, the Accent GLS has to be No. 1 on your must-see list.